May Edition This is the third update to JerseyWatch 2010. Everything is rumor until it becomes official but the following information is believed to be as accurate as possible. Teams are listed alphabetically. ⇒ denotes new information; ◊ denotes update.
Anaheim Ducks
New alternate jersey According to the information I have from Reebok, the Ducks will be adding an alternate jersey this season. Their home and road sweaters will remain unchanged.
By the way, the list I have does not detail any design elements so all we'd have is speculation at this point. And I'm going to try to avoid a lot of blind guessing in this post. You guys should feel free to add your speculation in the comments.
Boston Bruins
Speculation only The Boston Bruins are not among the teams noted by Reebok as changing their uniforms for the 2010-11 season. That includes the third jersey.
However, the Bruins have worn their gold Winter Classic jerseys three times since the big event. This has led to speculation that the Bs could be pushing toward making it a new alternate in the near future.
Buffalo Sabres
New home, road & alternate jerseys The Sabres will be undergoing big changes to celebrate their 40th anniversary season. Their current third jersey — a throwback with some modern updates — will take over as the home jersey, as has long been rumored.
Reebok lists the Sabres' road sweater as TBD, but it will most likely be a white version of the current alternates. I also understand they'll be adding an entirely new third jersey, but I'm told it may be only for the 40th anniversary season.
Sabres 2010 third jersey conceptIt will be royal blue with BUFFALO in a white script across the front, containing the vintage logo with the player's number underneath. The concept here to the right is my own rough rendering of the description I've been given. I've added the traditional striping and colors.
Obviously this jersey design isn't exact. But based on what I've been told, it's probably a good estimation. We'll have to wait until this summer to find out for sure.
Calgary Flames
New alternate jersey As the Flames have already announced, they will be bringing back the red retro jersey that was worn for a handful of games this season. The major difference is that it will be adapted to the Reebok Edge cut. The striping will remain as is.
The home and road sweaters will not change.
The rumored black jersey that was previously in the works has likely either been tabled for a few years or scrapped entirely. We may never know. Unless Ken King gets chatty.
Columbus Blue Jackets
New alternate jersey The Blue Jackets have not made an official announcement, but the Columbus Dispatch confirmed earlier this month that a new third jersey is in development and will be used in the 2010-11 campaign. This is corroborated by Reebok.
According to the newspaper, a cannon will be the central feature of the crest on the new uniform. The jersey will be publicly unveiled in November 2010.
Dallas Stars
Road & alternate jerseys swapped Reebok confirms that the Stars will officially switch their road and alternate jerseys next season. Both jerseys are white. Currently, the third is a white version of the home jersey, which features DALLAS arched above the sweater number.
As of the fall, the white DALLAS jersey will become the primary road sweater. The one crested with the Stars' primary logo will become the alternate.
⇒ Los Angeles Kings
New specialty jersey Rich Hammond, a blogger affiliated with the Kings' official website, recently stated that the team will don purple-and-gold throwback uniforms for at least one game, and as many as four, next season. Specifics about the actual design of the jersey were not discussed.
Hammond said the sweater would be worn against the Vancouver Canucks and referenced their 40th anniversary. So what is the significance of the Kings in Canucks history? Many have speculated that it has to do with Vancouver playing its first ever game against Los Angeles in 1970.
⇒ Minnesota Wild
New anniversary patch The Wild recently unveiled their new 10th anniversary logo. The team announced it will be worn as a patch on the upper right shoulder of all three jerseys throughout the season, except for their first two games which will take place in Finland.
Aside from the new patch, none of the three uniforms are expected to be changed.
Nashville Predators
New home & road; no alternate jersey The indication from Reebok is that the Predators will turn the alternate jersey they launched this season into their new home sweater. The road sweater is listed as TBD but a safe assumption is that it will be a light version of the new dark jersey.
Because of these major changes, the Preds will not wear an alternate next season.
The new home jersey (third, currently) features the same primary logo the team has used since its inception in 1998 but with a simplified color scheme — now navy, steel blue, silver and black. The gold and orange have been removed.
◊ New York Islanders
New home & road jerseys According to Reebok, the Islanders are changing only their road jersey. However, Isles blogger Chris Botta also said last year that the current retro thirds would become the new home sweater and a white road variant was in the works.
Now a source with the Islanders recently confirmed to Icethetics that the throwback royal blues will in fact be next year's home sweater and a white version will be adopted on the road. Fans in Bridgeport can already see them in action in the AHL.
The new road sweater will be officially unveiled at the Isles' draft party on June 25, according to an email sent out to fans in April. Last year's top overall pick John Tavares will be on hand to model it.
No word yet on whether the current navy blue home jersey will be switched to alternate status or if it will go away entirely, leaving the Isles without a third uniform.
New York Rangers
New alternate jersey Reebok verifies the news we've all been dying to hear. The Rangers will wear an alternate jersey next season. But will it be the Lady Liberty logo make her glorious return?
Possible Rangers third?Reebok doesn't specify, however, Rangers blogger Greg Caggiano recently claimed to have the inside track on the new thirds. He says he's been told they'll be nearly identical to the current home jersey with NEW YORK replacing RANGERS across the front.
Caggiano doesn't specify a source so it could just be guessing. I think it would disappoint a lot of Rangers fans and Icethetics readers. The Rangers arguably had the best third jersey of the '90s with that Statue of Liberty logo emblazoned on the front.
Those navy blue sweaters were so popular that in 1998 the Rangers even added a white version for a short time. They were used up until 2007 when Reebok took over the league.
The Rangers previously wore a blue jersey with NEW YORK on the front from 1978 to 1987. The team's home and road sweaters will not change next season.
Ottawa Senators
Speculation only According to Reebok, as of February, the Senators had no plans of making any uniform changes. In addition, multiple retail sources confirm the team will in fact be keeping all three of their current jerseys going into 2010-11.
However, rumors have circulated since August regarding the possibility of a new vintage jersey being added to Ottawa's arsenal. It all started when Jacob Barrette's Heritage sweater concept began showing up in artist renderings of the new O Store at Scotiabank Place.
Another rumor was based on markdown sales, which could be more about meeting quotas than selling off existing stock to launch a new product. We'll have to wait and see what news the summer brings.
Philadelphia Flyers
New road jersey The Flyers will don new road threads for the 2010-11 campaign. While Reebok doesn't say so specifically, it is widely assumed they will wear the retro white jersey that debuted at the 2010 Winter Classic in Boston.
The Flyers have worn the jersey on at least one occasion in front of the home crowd since the outdoor game at Fenway Park. Their home and alternate jerseys will remain unchanged.
◊ Pittsburgh Penguins
New alternate jersey It was been widely rumored and confirmed by Reebok in March that the Penguins would ditch their powder blue thirds in favor of a new alternate uniform for 2010-11. Once again, the manufacturer hasn't released any details of the design.
However, Tribune-Review beat writer Rob Rossi said in December that blue would be returning in some fashion to the new third jersey. It's probably a safe bet that the Pens will dig into their past once again for this sweater — likely going with one of the darker blue options.
Now, a local retailer, House O' Hockey of Monroeville, Pa., is reporting that the Penguins have scrapped plans to replace their current third jersey and will wear the powder blues for at least one more season.
The home and road jerseys will stay the same.
Toronto Maple Leafs
New home & road jerseys This may be a tad misleading. Reebok says the Maple Leafs will redesign their home and road sweaters for next year. Technically, this is accurate, but it won't be a major overhaul. At least not according to Howard Berger.
He claims to have seen all of the 2010 jersey changes and says that the white stripes, once around the base of the team's jerseys before Reebok got involved, will finally be returning. He also says the jerseys will have a new shoulder patch, noting that the previous one was a TML logo which debuted in 2000. He doesn't say what the new one will look like.
Toronto Star columnist Damien Cox has since confirmed with the Leafs that there will be minor changes madethat have already been approved by the NHL.
The retro alternate jersey will remain intact. However, this could be the last season for it, according to the National Post. Leafs COO Tom Anselmi says it could be ditched as early as 2011 in favor of a redesigned third jersey, based on another era in Toronto's hockey past. He says the team has been working with Reebok on changes but wouldn't give up any specifics.
Vancouver Canucks
Speculation only Last month, word from Reebok was the Canucks had no plans of changing their uniforms for their 40th anniversary. Now retail sources are reporting plans are in development for a special vintage sweater.
It's been suggested the Canucks would follow in the footsteps of the Flames, wearing a special throwback sweater for a handful of games during the regular season. This jersey would likely be a replica of the one worn in 1970, the team's debut season, with the vintage stick-in-the-rink logo.
Reebok says...
As of February, Reebok listed the following teams as making no changes to any of their uniforms in 2010-11. They are: Atlanta, Boston, Carolina, Chicago, Colorado, Edmonton, Florida, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Ottawa, Phoenix, San Jose, St. Louis, Tampa Bay and Vancouver. In addition, Detroit, Montreal, New Jersey and Washington are the only four teams that do not have third jerseys and do not plan on adding or changing anything.
This information is subject to change over the course of the summer and this post will continue to be updated.
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OKC Barons new logos?It appears that the Oklahoma City Barons will be the next AHL team and that their logos have been leaked!
Chris
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